Can't we relax in the country, Darling?

Learning the techniques of 19th-century shearing at the restored Jondaryan Woolshed Source: Supplied

The rolling green pastures of the Darling Downs. Source: Supplied

PAST and present combine in a wonderful selection of activities in the Darling Downs in Southern Queensland, writes David May.

Best for driving

Take a scenic morning drive north of Toowoomba along the New England Highway through some of the Downs' prettiest landscapes.

Just beyond the city, Abbie Lane Arts and Crafts Village, Highfields, is a delightful collection of craft and gift shops in beautifully restored timber buildings packed with gifts, jewellery, country-style crafts and confectionery.

Chocolate Cottage and Cafe nearby has 60 varieties of handmade chocolates sold only in the cafe while the Danish Flower Art Centre stocks a quirky range of crafts, dried flowers, beads and beading supplies.

In the 1800s, sawmilling and dairying sustained the mountain hamlet of Cabarlah. Now, a startling slice of Germany has become one of the village's economic success stories.

Where to eat: Flavours at Hampton is a great little cafe with a menu of locally sourced goodies mostly organically grown. Ph: (07) 4697 9004

Best for wines

In the southernmost region of the Darling Downs, the Granite Belt nurtures some of Queensland's premium wines, consistently scoring national trophies and gold medals.

Last year the Costanzo family's Golden Grove Estate at Ballandean beat 300 competitors at the prestigious Australian Small Winemakers Show to become Australia's Champion Small Winery.

Fourth-generation vintner Ray Costanzo studied winemaking at Charles Sturt University before he began at Golden Grove in 2003, scoring a gold medal with his first vintage 2003 shiraz.

"I was always going to be a winemaker," he says. "It was the only thing I ever knew."

Gazing over the verdant valley a day after the 2013 vintage pick, Costanzo reflects on his decade of success.

"We have this lovely little hill, good soil and it's virtually frost-free; just a small winery from a small region yet we're beating wineries three to four times our size from some of the best regions in Australia."

Stay and eat: Vineyard Cottages and Cafe, in a lovely garden setting at Ballandean, has boutique cottage accommodation with doubles from $230-$375 B&B.

Best for camping

On the banks of the Moonie River in the far western Darling Downs, Nindigully, just southeast of St George, has a population of seven. It has no post office, no supermarket, not even a shop.

What it does have is a free riverside campground, the best yellowbelly fishing in the west and Queensland's oldest hotel in original condition and in the same location (since 1864).

Nindigully Pub offers campers free use of its toilets and hot showers and around the 10ha of campground and eucalypt forests there are plenty of shady riverside camping and caravan spots where the swimming, fishing and yabbie trapping are also free.

"It's beautiful here, just unbelievable," he says. "Especially with the campsite right beside the river where you can wake up to screeching galahs and cockatoos.

"The fishing's awesome too," the chef adds.

Getting there: Follow the Carnarvon Highway from St George or the Barwon Highway from Goondiwindi.

Best for history

The history of Australia's pastoral industries has been immortalised by the likes of Henry Lawson and in songs like Waltzing Matilda. At Jondaryan, 46km west of Toowoomba, immortalisation has been taken a step further. In 1973 the owners of Jondaryan Station, donated the 150-year-old woolshed and 5ha of land to the community as a park.

Forty years on, Jondaryan Woolshed Historical Museum and Park showcases a smorgasbord of pastoral activities and one of Australia's largest collections of agricultural memorabilia, providing a vivid insight into 19th-century pastoral life on the Darling Downs.

Historian John Eggleston has been involved with the project since its inception.

"What happens in the past affects what's happening now and there's a lot of history tied up in this place," he says.

In 1974, the locals began restoring the old shearing shed to its original working condition, including the steam-driven shearing machinery installed in the 1890s.

"All the doomsayers reckoned we'd fall flat on our faces, that we couldn't do it," he says.

"Well, last year we did it," Eggleston says proudly.

"It's a world first and it's a blinder of a success - the oldest, fully operational shearing shed in the world."

Best for dining

Walk into Toowoomba's Veraison Restaurant and the first clues suggesting a fine-dining discovery are the soft lighting, muted brown tones and immaculate service. Then there's the menu with suggestions such as fennel-crusted Jimbour pork cutlet with beetroot spelt and grilled plum, barnyard farm quail with cotechino sausage and bean cassoulet and the shamelessly rich duck egg creme brulee.

But the clincher is the wine list, a staggering 16-page catalogue of some 460 viticultural wonders from a $33 Spanish monastrell/syrah to an $847 Grange 1994. Co-owners, chef Alex Weston and sommelier Andrew Smith, helped pioneer fine dining in Toowoomba and, with Veraison, they seem to have hit all the right buttons.

Smith says the quality of Toowoomba's dining and wining has improved over the past few years. "People don't mind paying good money for excellent food and excellent service," he says.

Weston says he wasn't surprised when guests responded well to gourmet game dishes such as rabbit, duck and venison. "It was a natural," he grins.

"So many of our customers come from country backgrounds."

The first taste of Veraison isn't on the menu; it's a surprise amuse-bouche, a little cup of velvety ginger and purple carrot soup that's utterly delectable.

The frequently changing menu depends on the agricultural vagaries of small regional producers.

"Our boutique local products are not always in steady supply," Weston says.

"We get it when we can. When we can't, we change the menu."

Where to sleep: Toowoomba's elegant 4 1/2-star Burke and Wills Hotel has comfortable doubles from $159-$249.

Go2 - DARLING DOWNS

Getting there: From the south, drive up the New England Highway. From Brisbane, drive west along the Warrego Highway.

Skytrans operates six flights a week from Sydney to Toowoomba and four flights a week from Brisbane.

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